Saturday, July 18, 2015

Prisoner Abuse Reflects Deeper Problems

My
recent book, Passover in Prison,
details abuse of Jewish inmates in American prisons.It would seem to have a narrow focus, but that’s
not true.The topic actually touches on
some very serious issues that have nothing to do with the prisoners themselves.

To
begin with, the Christian administrators, guards and inmates inflicting the
abuse are sure their religion is superior.As such, they feel entitled to impose their beliefs on their hapless
prisoners, who are few in number and espouse a faith that has been targets of
hate for centuries. However, given a chance, they would do the same thing to
Muslim inmates as well as members of any other non-Christian faith.

That’s
exactly what happens throughout history in any society whenever and wherever one
religion dominates.Everyone not in that
faith is ostracized, belittled and often condemned.

Killers for Christ

Examples
abound. When Jews controlled a small section of what is now Israel about 2100 years
ago, a Jewish army imposed the Jewish faith on residents of Samaria, killing
those who refused to convert.The Muslim
armies in the seventh and eighth centuries did the same thing as they swarmed
through North Africa, the Middle East and Western Europe.Christians followed suit throughout Eastern Europe,
going on murderous rampages through pagan eastern lands, relying, as did the
other monotheistic faiths, on sacred texts that countenance massacres of
nonbelievers.

The
Nazi approach in the 20th century was incredibly sinister, but the
Germans were following a well-established model.

That
is relevant because, in this country, political candidates from the religious
right, who seemingly dominate the Republican Party, have made clear their
intentions to impose their religious views in such areas as civil rights and
international politics, among other areas.In fact, my book details how the situation for Jewish prisoners
deteriorated under the George W. Bush administration, which

In
reality, abuse of one group is abuse of all.When a religion discriminates: everyone else is wrong and therefore
liable to be forcibly chastised in some manner in the name of one god of another.

In
addition, the abuse of prisoners reflects the chaos in our prison system.The United States has a larger percentage of
residents in prison than any other country.I find it hard to believe that Americans are less law-abiding than in
other countries.After all, this country
is known as a “nation of laws.”

In
reality, the laws vary from state to state with little sense of fairness or
equality.The abuse of any prisoners
continues as a result.We need drastic
prisoner reform and a comprehensive examination of the laws, something that
conservative religious groups heartily oppose.Caught up in their black-and-white view of the world, they want all
“evil” locked up with the key sent into oblivion without regard to the
individuals involved.

President
Barack Obama recently commuted the sentences of 46 drug offenders because their
sentences did not seem to fit the crimes.There are probably thousands more in that situation, not to mention many
who have ended up behind bars because their limited resources prevented
adequate legal representation.

Scene from "12 Angry Men"

The
1950s movie “12 Angry Men” characterized that kind of situation.In it, a member of the jury convinces his
skeptical counterparts that the young man on trial may not have been guilty of
murder.The story was fictional, of
course, but the events depicted happen too often.

Finally,
the abuse of prisoners reflects the growing conflict between security and
individual safety.The founders of this
country understand that dichotomy.Benjamin Franklin put it succinctly in a letter: “Those who surrender
freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Americans somehow believe that putting people in jail —1 in every 31 U.S.
citizens according to 2014 statistics -- will make us all safer.Actually, all we are doing is creating more
prisoners, more crowding and more abuse.

Overcrowded prisons

Instead, we need to invest in communities to create jobs so young people
can have ample opportunities to earn money legally.We need eliminate discrimination which forces
many to seize short-lived opportunities in crime for long-term success in society.

Nothing is going to change unless society moves beyond the mindless
repetition of religious cant into the realm of sincere effort.

A book revealing the previously unknown abuse of Jewish prisoners
represents the first step.

Long-time
religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious
history.He also speaks at various
religious organizations throughout Florida.You can reach him at www.williamplazarus.net.He is the author of the famed Unauthorized
Biography of Nostradamus; The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel
Writers Get Their Information; Noel:
The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols;and Dummies Guide to Comparative
Religion.His most recent book is Passover in Prison, which
details abuse of Jewish inmates in American prisons.His books are available on Amazon.com,
Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.He can also be followed on Twitter.

You
can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion for Dummies, at
http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

About Me

During his career, Bill has been a newspaper reporter, magazine writer/editor, advertising copywriter and writer/editor of NASCAR programs, among other jobs. He has won three international awards for stories and programs while working for International Speedway Corp. and was named 2000 Florida Feature Writer of the Year.
He has published four books to date and his writing has appeared in hundreds of local, regional, state and national publications.